


Tattooed Tether

by MarvelousMenagerie (HiddenOne)



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29072286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenOne/pseuds/MarvelousMenagerie
Summary: It was a small music festival to see if Tony could dip his toes back into the scene and not fall apart. Fortunately he had Bucky at his side to help.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 9
Kudos: 79
Collections: Winteriron Winter Stockings 2020





	Tattooed Tether

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [monobuu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/monobuu/pseuds/monobuu) in the [winteriron_winter_stockings_2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/winteriron_winter_stockings_2020) collection. 



> Bucky + all the tattoos <3

Tony’s throat itched for a drink. He took a swig from his Diet Coke, warmed from his holding, and ignored his want of something stronger.

The hand around his waist tightened, pressing him tighter against solid muscle. “You okay?” Bucky rumbled, lips pressed to Tony’s ear. It was the only way to be heard with the speakers blasting loud enough that the bass thrummed inside his chest.

Tony nodded, tilting his head up so Bucky could see his quick smile. It wasn’t a complete lie. He was as okay as he expected, being back at a festival.

Before, the band played loud enough to drown out his thoughts and the crowd crushed close enough that Tony remembered what touching people felt like and there was enough to drink that Tony didn’t have to think about the next day. Now the music was just as loud but he wasn’t pressed against the stage, whiskey in hand and grinding with a stranger. Tonight he was tucked back in the slightly-quieter corner of the field with his Diet Coke, squeezed against his boyfriend’s side.

He and Bucky had been up front, crushed with the crowd, until Bucky had tugged him back out for a breather and a drink. That Bucky had only grabbed a Coke from the vendor instead of his usual beer had Tony twisting in guilty relief.

Tonight was a test, and he thought he was passing unless it was the _wanting_ that meant he’d already failed.

Bucky kissed the side of his temple and went back to watching the band. They were decent enough, though Tony was used to bigger names and bigger venues. A small scale festival with a line up of rockstar wannabees and up-and-coming was what he needed, though. A pilot test, dipping his toe back into the pond of the scene and seeing if he could handle it - handle _himself_ \- without slipping back to the drink.

Bucky had pulled him out the first time, and Tony didn’t want to put them both through a second.

He missed the music, not the drink. He was here for the rhythms that would catch his soul and the drumming beats that would fill his veins. He was here for the clever twist of lyrics that would make him laugh, and he was here for the chords that would make him sing -

And he missed the drink.

But he wasn’t going to end the night early, not when Bucky had been looking forward to this just as much as he had. He took another sip from his Diet Coke and told his mind to accept that’s all it was getting tonight, and then traced the geometric lines tattooed onto the skin of Bucky’s wrist.

Bucky tugged him in until his back was pressed to Bucky’s chest, and his boyfriend slipped both arms around Tony’s waist and held him there.

“You getting fresh with me?”

Tony grinned, letting his fingers dance up Bucky’s arm and nails graze the black lines. “You haven’t told me what this one means.”

Bucky had so many tattoos, both his arms covered in full sleeves. The T-shirt Bucky was wearing covered most of the rest, though he’d started in with his legs too. Some of the stories were sweet, like the sparrow in flight over Bucky’s heart for his sister, and some were darker, like the line of blood-red stars across his back counting the nightmares of Bucky’s army service. The antlers below the inside of Bucky’s right elbow was one of Tony’s favorite to kiss, a play on the word _buck,_ but there were more tattoos and more left to learn about him.

Bucky’s mouth opened, but then he snapped it shut and grinned. “Gotta earn the answer to that one.”

“Do I?” Tony twisted in Bucky’s arms and patted his chest, right where a white wolf howling at the moon would be under his shirt. “Right here? In front of all these people?, For shame, Bucky bear.” He slid his hand down, and down, and down, not stopping as Bucky’s face flushed and he felt his way past the belt buckle.

“You’re shaming me? That’s a first.” Bucky’s voice was thin and reedy, Tony reading his lips more than hearing the words.

“Not me. I’ll get on my knees and blow you right here.”

Tony moved to kneel. It wouldn’t be his first public indecency, though it seemed wickedly more fun with Bucky than the people he’d never seen again. Bucky yanked Tony back to his feet, and the Diet Coke dropped to the grass, spilling. Tony laughed as they edged away from the mess, watching people give them a curious glances before ignoring them again.

“Menace,” Bucky growled into his ear.

Tony buried his face and his laughter back into Bucky’s chest, relieved and grateful and disappointed. He wanted to blow Bucky, and would right here if Bucky wanted him too, but it was nice not to get tossed out on their asses the first night back. Those bigger venues hid more shit too, when Tony could handle that again.

“Come on,” Bucky said, and pulled Tony away. They threaded through the crowd, not back to the crush of the stage or to the line for drinks, but back to the exit and the gravel parking lot.

“We’re done?” Tony asked, that same swirl of relief and disappointment intermixing, but he wasn’t going to fight it. He trusted Bucky’s lead, and as long as he was with Bucky he didn’t care where they were.

“Leaving while having a good time.” Bucky grinned at him. “’Sides, thought you wanted to earn my tattoo story.”

“I do.” Tony curled up under Bucky’s arm. Turned out it was easy to get Bucky talking once he slipped past the first layer of intimidating glare, though trading life stories for orgasms didn’t hurt either. “Huh, getting home is so straightforward when you can drive.”

“Isn’t it?” Bucky pressed a kiss to his hair. “I had a good time tonight. You?”

And Tony’s heart melted, because Bucky meant it. He’d had a good time tonight, even though he’d needed to keep an eye out for Tony and didn’t drink anything.

“Yeah, I did,” Tony said, and meant it. He hip-checked Bucky, making them both stumble and laugh. “But I think it’s only going to get better,” he added with a wink.

“Sounds interesting,” Bucky said, voice husky.

“It’s a promise,” Tony replied, and he meant that too.


End file.
